ANDREW Scott (HAS, Mar 10) says he takes pride in the town he lives in. A very laudable statement and one which most of the people of Darlington would support.

He argues several points. Firstly, council tax and the fact that Darlington council tax is cheaper than our neighbours is irrelevant.

What matters to Darlington people is that the tax increase this year, like each of the past four years, has been significantly above the cost of living index. Year on year we pay more and year on year receive poorer services.

His second point is litter. I can only say he and I must visit different parts of the town. He might, however, take note of the chewing gum which adorns all our town centre paved areas, symptomatic of the lack of respect for our local environment.

He states the roads are in good condition, which I find very curious. The zealous installation of extended kerbs, calming measures and other traffic restrictions to distract the motorist have clearly been at the expense of repairing the severely deteriorating roads and pavements.

Andrew finally puts his finger on the real issue. It is attracting people to start businesses and visit the town.

The issues which determine whether people come to Darlington are many and varied. However, in a nutshell, our costs, environment and infrastructure have to be more attractive than our neighbours. - Charles Johnson, Darlington.

LITTER

I AM delighted that the Echo's anti-litter campaign is bearing fruit.

Driving down from the motorway to Darlington, for example, I spotted three council workers clearing accumulated litter along the verges.

All too often the roads along dual carriageways and motorways are a disgrace. While Darlington council has got to grips with the problem, this is far from true elsewhere.

The main culprits are of course irresponsible drivers who throw rubbish from vehicles. At the same time, given that most of the litter seems to be cartons and paper bags, the fast-food outlets should take some responsibility and action as well. - Cyndi Hughes, Darlington.

I AM writing in appreciation of the fact that Darlington Town Hall does get things done as much as it can.

Some time since, I wrote to The Northern Echo and the town hall about the state of the footpaths and how dangerous they were for elderly people and have noticed a big improvement in them in certain areas of the town.

We cannot all afford cars and lazy people do not want to walk even if they could. Thanks Darlington Town Hall. - Ivy McNally, Darlington.

THE council could make a fortune from litter louts if they so chose. Just follow our postmen on their travels and you would be amazed at the number of rubber bands they discard on the pavements. Why they cannot just take them back to the Post Office, I'll never know. - Peter Johnson, Darlington.

PAPER COLLECTION: I AM sure most people agree with Sylvia Wall's comments (HAS, Mar 10). I fill up two bags of cardboard chopped into pieces, two bags of newspapers and one bag of junk mail every week.

Keeping ten bags in the house for a fortnight (which I do at Bank Holidays) is inconvenient and would create a fire hazard. I say "leave a good service alone". Is there a petition handy? I would definitely sign it. - E Cain, Darlington.